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Adriel Lam

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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Adriel Lam
Image of Adriel Lam
Elections and appointments
Last election

August 10, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Washington, 1993

Graduate

Wayland Baptist University, 2024

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1994 - 2018

Personal
Religion
Protestant
Profession
Retired
Contact

Adriel Lam (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Hawaii. He lost in the Republican primary on August 10, 2024.

Lam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Adriel Lam served in the U.S. Army from 1994 to 2018. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 1993, a graduate degree from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2000, a graduate degree from Tarleton State University in 2000, a graduate degree from the University of Hawaii in 2005, and a graduate degree from Wayland Baptist University in 2024. As of 2024, Lam was retired.[1]

As of 2024, Lam was affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

  • Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 110
  • MIS Veterans of Hawaii
  • American Legion China Post 1
  • Lions Club of Kaneohe
  • Kailua Elks
  • Koolaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club
  • Friends of Haiku Stairs
  • Kaneohe Business Group
  • Kaneohe Christmas Parade
  • Hawaii Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights
  • Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization
  • Pali View Baptist Church
  • Anchor Church

Elections

2024

See also: United States Senate election in Hawaii, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Hawaii

Incumbent Mazie K. Hirono defeated Bob McDermott, Shelby Billionaire, and Emma Pohlman in the general election for U.S. Senate Hawaii on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mazie K. Hirono
Mazie K. Hirono (D)
 
64.6
 
324,194
Image of Bob McDermott
Bob McDermott (R)
 
31.9
 
160,075
Image of Shelby Billionaire
Shelby Billionaire (We the People)
 
1.8
 
9,224
Image of Emma Pohlman
Emma Pohlman (G)
 
1.6
 
8,270

Total votes: 501,763
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii

Incumbent Mazie K. Hirono defeated Ron Curtis and Clyde McClain Lewman in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii on August 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mazie K. Hirono
Mazie K. Hirono
 
90.5
 
176,131
Image of Ron Curtis
Ron Curtis
 
7.3
 
14,271
Image of Clyde McClain Lewman
Clyde McClain Lewman Candidate Connection
 
2.2
 
4,287

Total votes: 194,689
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii on August 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Bob McDermott
Bob McDermott
 
51.9
 
27,961
Image of Adriel Lam
Adriel Lam Candidate Connection
 
16.5
 
8,913
Melba Amaral
 
14.2
 
7,627
Image of Paul Dolan
Paul Dolan
 
7.4
 
4,006
Image of Arturo Reyes
Arturo Reyes
 
6.2
 
3,319
Image of Emmanuel Tipon
Emmanuel Tipon
 
3.8
 
2,075

Total votes: 53,901
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii

No candidate advanced from the primary.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Giuffre
John Giuffre Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
966

Vote totals may be incomplete for this race.

Total votes: 966
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Aloha Aina Party primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Green primary election

Green primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii

Emma Pohlman advanced from the Green primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii on August 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Emma Pohlman
Emma Pohlman
 
100.0
 
1,342

Total votes: 1,342
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

We the People primary election

We the People primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii

Shelby Billionaire advanced from the We the People primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii on August 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Shelby Billionaire
Shelby Billionaire
 
100.0
 
977

Total votes: 977
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lam in this election.

2022

See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Hawaii State Senate District 24

Incumbent Jarrett Keohokalole defeated Antionette Fernandez in the general election for Hawaii State Senate District 24 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jarrett Keohokalole
Jarrett Keohokalole (D)
 
70.3
 
13,669
Image of Antionette Fernandez
Antionette Fernandez (R)
 
29.7
 
5,777

Total votes: 19,446
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hawaii State Senate District 24

Incumbent Jarrett Keohokalole advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii State Senate District 24 on August 13, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jarrett Keohokalole
Jarrett Keohokalole
 
100.0
 
9,645

Total votes: 9,645
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Hawaii State Senate District 24

Antionette Fernandez defeated Adriel Lam in the Republican primary for Hawaii State Senate District 24 on August 13, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Antionette Fernandez
Antionette Fernandez
 
50.7
 
1,513
Image of Adriel Lam
Adriel Lam
 
49.3
 
1,474

Total votes: 2,987
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2018

See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

The general election was canceled. Scot Matayoshi won election in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 49.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 49

Scot Matayoshi defeated Natalia Hussey-Burdick, Kaui Dalire, and Mo Radke in the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 49 on August 11, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scot Matayoshi
Scot Matayoshi
 
72.4
 
5,336
Image of Natalia Hussey-Burdick
Natalia Hussey-Burdick
 
18.9
 
1,393
Kaui Dalire
 
4.4
 
324
Mo Radke
 
4.2
 
313

Total votes: 7,366
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 49

No candidate advanced from the primary.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Adriel Lam
Adriel Lam
 
100.0
 
51

Vote totals may be incomplete for this race.

Total votes: 51
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Adriel Lam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lam's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Adriel brings a lifetime of career and personal experiences in connecting diverse partners and forging a common path forward. He will advocate for Hawaii's proper place and role in the United States Senate at the forefront of our foreign policy and Pacific engagement.
  • LOKAHI (United)

    Empower local towns and communities Collaborate with local civic and volunteer organizations

    Coordinate on common ground and purpose
  • ALOHA (Love/Life Together) Support free market principles Value individual rights and responsibilities Open economic and cultural pathways to the Pacific
  • MALAMA (Care and Protect) Ensure free and fair elections Apply practical environmental measures Invest in innovative and creative solutions
Foreign Policy, Pacific Strategy, Asia Engagement
Delivering newspapers for the South Pasadena Journal and collecting subscription fees.
Armed Service, Foreign Affairs, Commerce

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Lam’s campaign website stated the following:

Lokahi (United)

  • Empower local towns and communities
  • Collaborate with local civic and volunteer organizations
  • Coordinate on common ground and purpose

Aloha(Love/Life Together)

  • Support free market principles
  • Value individual rights and responsibilities
  • Open economic and cultural pathways to the Pacific

Malama (Care and Protect)

  • Ensure free and fair elections
  • Apply practical environmental measures
  • Invest in innovative and creative solutions [2]
—Adriel Lam’s campaign website (2024)[3]

Interview with Honolulu Civil Beat

Lam highlighted the following themes in an interview with Honolulu Civil Beat on July 4, 2024. The questions from Honolulu Civil Beat are bolded and Lam's responses follow below.[4]

Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Aug. 10 Primary Election, Civil Beat asked candidates to answer some questions about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following came from Adriel Lam, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. His primary opponents are Melba Amaral, Paul Dolan, Bob McDermott, Arturo Reyes and Emmanuel Tipon.

Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the Primary Election Ballot.

1. What is the biggest issue facing Hawaii, and what would you do about it?

The biggest issue facing Hawaii is how to make Hawaii home again. Too many of our residents have to leave for better employment opportunities, and now even our kupuna are being priced out of their homes.

Cost of living, housing prices, noncompetitive business environment and stagnant bureaucracy all contribute to the decision to leave and never return home.

We need to provide a welcoming business environment and robust job market, encourage innovative solutions for competitive and niche industries to make make Hawaii home again for our future generations.

2. What can the U.S. Congress do to reduce gun violence?

Congress should invest in more self-defense and firearms education. Security is both a collective and individual responsibility.

Every citizen should have the required education to know the proper function and use of a firearm and the discipline to handle firearms in a safe and responsible manner. Safety and security begins with individual responsibility.

3. The polarization in Congress is worse than ever. Some say democracy itself is in trouble. How would you work to end the political polarization that divides both the Congress and the country?

Many will say journalist practices today are responsible for the polarization that pursue accolades and recognition from their peers over veracity and relevance.

With more than half the partisan races uncontested, many ballots in the August primary will have only one partisan decision to make, that is for the U.S. Senate race. Yet, Civil Beat’s June 5 report on the candidate filing deadline made no specific mention of the U.S. Senate Republican race, as well as advancing the narrative of low voter turnout. This deliberate omission and myopic partisanship undermine democracy.

4. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, while currently financially sound, risk future funding concerns because of changing demographics. What would you propose to shore up the country’s major safety net programs?

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are not financially sound. Putting a “currently” modifier before a statement does not make it any better. Current beneficiaries are depending on payments from the future workforce to pay the bill. Safety nets are for emergency, exigent circumstances, not routine, regular, or even abnormal conditions. These programs need to be given back to the individuals and/or collective entities to plan, manage, invest and incentivized to prepare for their future.

5. Currently, the filibuster rule in the U.S. Senate has prevented the chamber from voting on critical issues. Should it be eliminated? Why?

The Senate filibuster is a tradition to ensure trendy legislation and fleeting sentiments binding future generations to poorly conceived ideas are not easily codified into law.

“Critical issues” should be self-evident and have little difficulty passing with a two-thirds majority. Giving power to a simple majority of 50% plus one is dangerous and a threat to a constitutional republic.

Most issues in Congress are not contentious. The contentious ones should have robust discussions and deliberations, less media interference and partisan advocacy, to seek and find common ground.

6. Is the U.S. on the right path when it comes to mitigating climate change and growing renewable energy production? What specific things should Congress be considering?

Climate mitigation and adaptation is important to monitor and adjust to the changing conditions around us. Farmers and engineers alike, have observed these 5-, 10-, 20-year even 100-year cycles for centuries and adapted their methods and techniques to these changes.

Congress should invest in real, hard sciences, and not fund politically driven research based on dubious claims and questionable results.

7. What is your view on the U.S. role in foreign policy? What can the U.S. do to build better relations with the Asia-Pacific region?

U.S. foreign policy should be based solely on protecting the rights and interests of American citizens around the world. Partnering with key, like-minded friends and allies has been how the United States has maintained peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region for decades.

While we provide incentives, aid, assistance to promote our values, our friends and allies should be free to choose and accept without coercion or undue political influence.

8. Should the state renew the U.S. military’s leases on training grounds in Hawaii? Should there be new conditions on the leases and if so what?

Federal land leases are negotiated on the basis of mutual benefit to the prospective tenant and landowner. While we all collectively benefit from the national security imperative to provide suitable training grounds for our military forces in the Asia-Pacific, the burden to provide these resources is not equally shared among the 50 states.

Fair compensation does not always have to be in financial terms, but partnering with the affected communities should be a necessary component to alleviating the burden they bear. Federal assistance through infrastructure, housing, remediation and mitigation can all be part of the solution for fair land use and compensation.[2]

2022

Adriel Lam did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Adriel Lam campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* U.S. Senate HawaiiLost primary$23,057 $22,310
2022Hawaii State Senate District 24Lost primary$7,316 $11,008
2018Hawaii House of Representatives District 49Lost primary$409 N/A**
Grand total$30,781 $33,318
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 16, 2024
  2. 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. Adriel Lam’s campaign website, “Home,” accessed July 25, 2024
  4. Honolulu Civil Beat, “Candidate Q&A: US Senate- Adriel Lam,” July 4, 2024


Senators
Representatives
District 1
Ed Case (D)
District 2
Democratic Party (4)